Chapter 80

• AUBREY
• The urgency in Astor's voice cuts through the air like a blade. Within minutes, Knox and I are moving through the corridors, our footsteps echoing against the stone walls as we rush toward the courtyard. The mate bond pulses between us, steady and reassuring despite the chaos erupting around us.
• Warriors stream from every direction, some still pulling on leather armor, others checking the edges of their blades. The scent of preparation fills the night air—metal being sharpened, leather being secured, the tang of nervous sweat mixing with determination.